Lonnie Dean Nielsen (June 29, 1953 – January 20, 2021) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. Nielsen was born and raised in

Belle Plaine, Iowa Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,330 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. His father started him in golf as a youngster on the sand green courses in and around his hometown. He attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

degree in 1976. Nielsen was a member of the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

from 1978–1983 but did not win any tournaments. He has won over 30 other tournaments though, most of which were played in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. As a club pro, Nielsen finished T11 at the

1986 PGA Championship The 1986 PGA Championship was the 68th PGA Championship, held August 7–11 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Bob Tway won his only major championship, two strokes ahead of runner-up Greg Norman, the 54-hole leader. Heavy rains on Sunday stop ...

. Nielsen became a member of the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

upon reaching the age of 50 in the summer of 2003. He won his first Champions Tour event at the

Commerce Bank Championship The Commerce Bank Championship was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour. It started as non-sanctioned event in 1987, before becoming a regular Senior event in 1988. The tournament was played annually in either June or July until 2008. It was las ...

in 2007. His second Champions Tour win came in 2009 at the

Dick's Sporting Goods Open The Dick's Sporting Goods Open is a PGA Tour Champions event in Endicott, New York. It debuted in July 2007, supplanting the B.C. Open, a former PGA Tour event from 1971 through 2006. It is sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods, founded in adjacent B ...

, where he came from three strokes behind

Fred Funk Frederick Funk (born June 14, 1956) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Early life Fred Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He tried several sports, and even boxed for eight years for a junior ...

in the final round with a 9 under par 63 to win by three strokes. In 2009, Nielsen became the first tour professional to serve as a lead contributor to the GIVE (Golf For Injured Veterans Everywhere) Foundation. Nielsen was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2010. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Nielsen died on January 20, 2021; he had dementia in the years prior to his death.

Professional wins (39)

Regular career wins (35)

*1979

Waterloo Open Golf Classic The Waterloo Jaycees Greater Waterloo Open Golf Classic is the oldest and largest golf tournament in the state of Iowa. It has been played annually since 1934, and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2008. It is traditionally played over the course ...

*1984 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship *1985

New York State Open The New York State Open is the New York state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Metropolitan chapter of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been played annually since ...

, Western New York Section PGA Championship *1986 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Section PGA Championship *1987 Western New York Section PGA Championship *1988 PGA Match Play Championship, PGA Stroke Play Championship *1989

, Western New York Open, Western New York Section PGA Championship, PGA Match Play Championship *1990 Western New York Open, Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Section PGA Championship *1991 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship *1993 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Open, Western New York Section PGA Championship *1994 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Section PGA Championship *1995 Western New York Open *1996 Western New York Section PGA Championship *1997 Western New York Open *1998 Western New York Open, Western New York PGA Match Play Championship *1999 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship *2000 Western New York Section PGA Championship *2001 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship *2002 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Open *2003 Western New York Open *2013 Western New York Section PGA Championship, Western New York PGA Match Play Championship

Champions Tour wins (2)

Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other senior wins (2)

*2003 Otesago Senior Open Championship, Turning Stone Seniors Championship

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
''Note: Nielsen never played in the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.''

U.S. national team appearances

PGA Cup The PGA Cup is a men's golf competition for club professionals played between a Great Britain and Ireland team and a United States team. The winning team is presented with the Llandudno Trophy. The competition is run by the British PGA and the PG ...

: 1988 (winners), 1996 (tie)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Lonnie American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from Iowa Golfers from Florida Golfers from New York (state) People from Belle Plaine, Iowa People from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Sportspeople from Palm Beach County, Florida People from Orchard Park, New York Sportspeople from Erie County, New York 1953 births 2021 deaths